warning about magic erasers!!!?

Question

this was in an email that was sent to me

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers........... Subject:
SUPER IMPORTANT! Pass on to people with kids!


MAGIC ERASER BURN INFORMATION
IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!
One of my five year old's favorite chores around the house is cleaning scuff marks off the walls, doors, and baseboards with either an Easy Eraser pad, or the real deal, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I purchased a package of Magic Erasers ages ago when they first came out. I remember reading the box, wondering what the "Magic" component was that cleaned crayon off my walls with ease. No ingredients were listed and absolutely no warnings were on the box, other than "Do not ingest."
My package of the Scotchbrite Easy Erasers didn't have a warning either and since my child knew not to eat the sponges and keep them out of reach of his little brother and sister, it was a chore I happily let him do.
If I had known that both brands (and others like them) contain a harmful alkaline or "base" chemical (opposite of acid on the pH scale) that can burn your skin, I never would have let my little boy handle them. As you can see from the picture, when the Scotchbrite Easy Eraser was rubbed against his face and chin, he received severe chemical burns.
At first, I thought he was being dramatic. I picked him up, put him on the counter top and washed his face with soap and water. He was screaming in pain. I put some lotion on his face - more agony. I had used a Magic Eraser to remove magic marker from my own knuckles a while back and I couldn't understand why he was suddenly in pain. Then, almost immediately, the large, shiny, blistering red marks started to spread across his cheeks and chin.
I quickly searched Google.com for "Magic Eraser Burn" and turned up several results. I was shocked. These completely innocent looking white foam sponges can burn you?
I called our pediatrician, and of course got sent to voice mail. I hung up and called the Hospital and spoke to an Emergency Room nurse. She told me to call Poison Control. The woman at Poison Control said she was surprised nobody had sued these companies yet and walked me through the process of neutralizing the alkaline to stop my son's face from continually burning more every second.
I had already, during my frantic phone calling, tried patting some numbing antibiotic cream on his cheeks, and later some Aloe Vera gel - both resulted in screams of pain. The Poison Control tech had me fill a bathtub with warm water, lay my son into it, cover him with a towel to keep him warm and then use a soft washcloth to rinse his face and chin with cool water for a continuous 20 minutes.
My son calmed down immediately. He told me how good it felt. I gave him a dose of Tylenol and after the twenty minutes was up, he got dressed in his Emergency Room doctor Halloween costume and off we went to the Hospital.
They needed to make sure the chemical burn had stopped burning, and examine his face to determine if the burn would need to be debrided (from my fuzzy recollection of hospital work, this means removing loose tissue from a burn location).
They sent us home with more Aloe Vera gel, Polysporin antibiotic cream, and some other numbing burn creams. By the time we got home, my son was crying again. I tried applying some of the creams but he cried out in pain. Water seemed to be what worked the best.
After a rough night, I took the above photo in the morning. He was swollen and wouldn't move his lips very much to avoid moving the skin on his taut cheeks.
Today he is doing much better. The burns have started to scab over, and in place of red, raw, angry, skin we have a deeper red, rough healing layer. I can touch his skin now, without it stinging.
So please be very careful with these sponges, you could save your child's life!

I wasn't passing it along as fact
I did say it was an email sent to me
It wasn't my child
Even if it wasn't "fact" I did not think it was worth taking chances on
Next time I will research before posting
The rude comments weren't necessary

Answer 1

Never believe anything you get in email. Especially forwarded email. Check out any of the urban legend websites and type in the subject of the email. Chances are, its in there. Ive gotten a thousand emails forwarded from concerned friends and family. Every single one of them is bogus. check it out is you have a question.


Oh and I just checked it out and I was right. It is an urban legend. Completely bogus.

Answer 2

All cleaning products should be kept away from children. I thought everyone knew that. There should be a product label for those who haven't been informed. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is a miracle cleaner! I use them all the time. Usually the cleaners that clean that well have some strong stuff in them, how else would they work so well. I am glad your little boy is doing better. I hope he doesn't have any scars. Call or write in to the company. I'm sure they will print the warning on the box if they are informed.

I just researched your question and the little boy had apparently had an allergic reaction. Children's skin is much more sensitive than an adults. They changed the packaging in January to add a warning. No need to warn people any more.

Answer 3

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-magic-eraser-burn.htm

he pH factor of Magic Erasers (and presumably Scotchbrite Pads) falls between 8 and 10 -- alkaline enough, according to a poison control center consulted by Jessica, to cause a "base chemical burn." And they ought to know. But it bears pointing out that even a pH of 10 to 12 is comparatively mild on the alkalinity scale. Baking soda has a pH of 9, for example, Milk of Magnesia has a pH of 10, and soapy water has a pH of 12 (see pH scale).

Conceivably, a patch of skin -- especially the sensitive skin of a child -- could be made more susceptible to irritation by a weak alkali if it is mildly abraded by, say, the melamine foam surface of an Easy Erasing Pad. With vigorous enough rubbing, on the other hand, perhaps the material itself is capable of causing injuries such as those shown in the photograph. It is also possible that an allergic reaction was involved.


http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=32834
I had also checked up on this story on Snopes.com and they stated that the manufacturers, that they know of and investigated, do not put chemicals in the sponges. It is meant to be a mere abrasive cleaner.

Answer 4

Well, I stopped reading after I found a big error. Yes, when your child is screaming in pain, and big red bumps pop up on your child's face, you sit down on the computer and go to Google. What a great parent!

Second, you should never let a small child use a cleaning product. There's another mistake. I child can easily, easily forget that you said do not put it in your mouth. What if he got hungry or thirsty and since the product is like a block, he tries to eat it, or see's that the product is liquid and decides to drink it?


Edit: Okay, I decided to go back and read it. NEVER would poison control suggest that. So about an hour after words you decide to take the kid to an ER? Yes, now that is smart!

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
warning about magic erasers!!!?
this was in an email that was sent to me

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers........... Subject:
SUPER IMPORTANT! Pass on to people with kids!


MAGIC ERASER BURN INFORMATION
IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!
One of my five year old's favorite chores around the house...

Answer 6

You should read Laura Jefferson’s book "Skin Whitening At Home" ( I saw it's also available in electronic format +video: http://www.skinwhiteningathome.com ). After 8 weeks I managed to get my skin a few tones whiter and I also got rid of freckles.

The method she teaches in her book is natural, inexpensive, and is readily available in most homes. You could even find some ingredients in your own backyard. The most wonderful thing about the method she shares in her book is that it will help you whiten or lighten your skin pigmentations, freckles, age spots, acne marks, dark underarms, melasma, or your overall skin color easily and naturally without breaking your bank or producing dangerous side effects. Good Luck!

Answer 7

This is not an urban legend. You can be burned by it, and it definitely has alkaline in it. I went to a doctor and everything after suffering with these burns.
You don't need to be rude to others just because you're a "know it all."

P.s. Everyone else should do their research before making rude comments denying these types of things.

Answer 8

No this is NOT true.

However, Magic Erasers can bother people with asthma. My son reacts very badly to them. So, like any cleaning product you have to be careful if you have a child with a health concern.

Answer 9

a chemical burn you would not treat at home, first you would go to the E.R. unless you have a kit at home for it. which is highly unlikely. running water over a base burn wouldn't help it, need an mild acid to counter a base.

Answer 10

GOTO The source, this isnt from you, the entire story is available here at the link below everyone.... READ it at the Source